I’m always looking for recipes to use grilled fresh vegetables in. My friend, Lisa, has a fresh supply of vegetables right in her own garden! She makes me so jealous. Lisa uses environment friendly techniques to maintain her garden. Right now, she has an incredible harvest of fresh spinach, tomatoes and even japanese eggplant that are just waiting to be picked. That inspired me to dust off the grill and test it out for the spring barbecuing season. Spring goes by pretty quickly around here so, you have to move fast before it gets too hot!

To my mind, just about any veggie is better on the grill. I happened to use japanese eggplant, zucchini, and red bell pepper. For the fresh greens, I used spinach. Try it on your sandwiches it adds a lot of flavor and more nutrition than just plain lettuce. Maybe you can sneak it by your kids, no one said you have to tell them it is spinach.

To add a little protein, I added some fresh Queso Panela , fresh mozzarella is a good substitute if you can’t find it.

I used this method to grill the eggplant and zucchini. They came out perfectly!

Here’s what you’ll need to put together a garden fresh sandwich that will turn your veggies into a meal.

Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with Chipotle Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of chipotles in adobo, finely minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 Ciabatta rolls

2 japanese eggplants

2 zucchini

2 red bell peppers, the bottled type will do just fine

1 bunch spinach

8 oz queso panela or fresh mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

salt and pepper to taste

canola oil

Mince chipotle pepper and mix it into the mayonnaise. Let it chill in the refrigerator to blend the flavors while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.

Slice the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into long, 1/4 inch slices. Cut off the stem of the red pepper, cut into quarters and remove the seeds.

Very lightly oil veggies with canola oil (save on calories by wiping off the excess oil, you will taste the real freshness of the vegetable if it is not covered in oil).

Place veggies on a medium high grill (a grill pan works great and isn’t as messy) and cook until soft, but still al dente. Salt after they are taken off the grill so that they don’t let off too much of their juices. Remember, you want to keep the fresh crispness of the vegetable.

Dice the eggplant. Remove the skin of the red pepper if desired.

Warm the cheese quickly on the grill and season with Mexican oregano.

Cut rolls in half and toast lightly on the grill.

Spread chipotle mayonnaise on the bread and layer the vegetables; zucchini, then diced eggplant, red pepper and cheese.

Season the cheese with a little Mexican oregano and salt and pepper.

Top it off with fresh spinach and enjoy the springtime while you can!

posted by Sandy

My chipotle mayonnaise is quick and easy, but if you really want to spice it up try some of these recipes.

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Sandy is a former elementary educator whose love for cooking has gone out of control. She has completed a degree in culinary arts and is now a food writer, photographer, cookbook author and co-creator of the popular website Everyday Southwest. Read More…